67 



DUMAYACA PALM. 



{Arenga mindorensis.) 



Dumayaca (Batangas, Tayabas) ; gumayaka (Laguna) ; tipon-tipon, 

 bills (Albay) ; abigui, romaka (Camarines) ; belis (Sorsogon) ; 

 dayumaka (Tayabas). Also reported from Bataan and Mindoro. 



The plant is one of the smaller palms and reaches a height 

 of but 6 m. It resembles a young nipa, coconut, or sugar 

 palm, as it is nearly trunkless and has long slender petioles 

 to which numerous leaflets are attached. Unlike the nipa 

 palm, it is not found in swamps. 



To help in the identification of this palm, it may be noted 

 that the leaflets are about 20 to 35 cm. long, have a uniform 

 width of from 13 to 18 mm., and a round, serrated tip. 

 The upper surface of the leaflets is bright green and the 

 lower is dull, silvery green in color. The petioles are of 

 grayish-green color with gray predominating, finely 

 speckled, slightly rough to the touch, and free of leaflets 

 for a distance of 1 to 2 m. from the base. Around the 

 base of the petioles are found black fibrous sheaths which 

 are only moderately developed. The fruit is bright red 

 in color, round, and about 1 cm. in diameter and contains 

 three seeds. It occurs in great masses on flower stalks 

 which are from 60 to 90 cm. long. 



PREPARATION. 



As the lower parts of the petioles are free from leaflets, 

 there is little waste in using them as industrial material. 

 Dumayaca, therefore, furnishes a better industrial material 

 than do those palms whose leaflets extend almost from 

 the base to the top of the petioles and which, because of 

 such arrangement, permit only the use of the sides on which 

 leaflets are not attached. Scraping away the epidermis of 

 the petioles reveals the tissue beneath, which varies in shade 

 from a light to a dark brown. Dumayaca palms were first 

 used as basketry material during the year 1910 in Polangui, 

 Albay. 



USES. 



Dumayaca is used in making different kinds of baskets 

 such as waste baskets, market baskets, lunch baskets, and 

 the like. The splints are good for both weavers and spokes, 



